J'adore
by Kreatyve
Summary: .:Love Game sideshot:. Toni, Naruto, and Sasuke finally arrive at Ichiraku's after the failed engagement party to kick back and enjoy themselves. But can a little jealousy trigger an unexpected confession? Read to find out! -Takes place after chapter ten-


**Disclaimer: Toni's mine! ALL MINE! TAKE THAT! HA!...But that's about it...DX**

**Warning: **_**You kinda have to have read up 'til chapter 10 in my other fic, Let's Play A Love Game, to understand what the hell's going on in this sideshot...so if you haven't read that...Shoo! Go read my other story first! It'll make both our lives easier.**_

**A/N: **Eh, I was in the mood to write something so I did...TADA! Merry Christmas/happy belated Hanukkah/happy early New Year's...Well happy _*insert any holiday here*_ guys, I hope you have/had a great one of whatever...and other than that it was really just that I felt like you guys liked Toni a lot and felt bad cause she was done when it came to my story. And I remember a review from In The Mix, saying that she would love a chapter of Toni eating ramen for the first time with Naruto at Sasuke's expense after chapter 10, but I didn't, so here it is as a sideshot! YAY!

**P.S. It's in Toni's perspective.**

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**J'adore**

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I arrived at Ichiraku's and the smell was the first thing that assaulted me, right as I bowed under the short plain, silk curtains and moved next to a seat. Whatever this ramen stuff was, it was definitely aromatic. And I am not sure if it that is a good thing or bad thing. Yet.

I quickly scanned the tiny Japanese style bistro. It was filled with earthy tones: deep reds, rich browns, and subtle greens. An authentic feel. The place itself was rather small, a cramped kitchen right behind mahogany counter and high bar stools. The counter itself was completely stark except for the two holders that were filled with...chopsticks?

Hell, I can't use those to save my life. Damn Japanese culture and their impossible utensils. It is like they are better than you just because they can eat anything and everything with two measly wooden sticks. But they might be right, they can eat fucking rice with those toothpicks...mad skills to the extreme.

You'd bet I'd be pro at them by now because I flew here using Air Japan where everything was served with chopsticks...but you'd lose that bet...

Everything happened right in front of your eyes. I could see the chef preparing the, what I assumed to be, noodles, and chopping the various vegetables with quick snaps of his wrist. It had a very homey feel, like you might just be sitting in your kitchen watching your mom cook...not that my mom ever cooked. We had servants to "frivolous" stuff like cooking and cleaning...and everything else that included physical labor. Besides last time I checked, my mother wasn't a middle aged man like the person who seemed to be the head chef here.

Nothing about this restaurant popped out as "good food here", but they rarely do. It was always the underground places with the high quality dishes. You had to have the right connections to know about the places that were the real deal. Either way, who the hell wants to spend hundred plus euros on something that takes up one sixteenth of their plate? Not me, thank you very much. Even if Paris was known as one of the culinary capitals of the world. Talk about a rip off.

And from what I had heard about this shindig from Naruto the whole ride here was enough to make me feel certain that this place was the shit. Then again that blonde looked like he was high all the time, whereas the Sasuke was his polar opposite. How they passed as a couple was beyond me.

But as much as they want to deny that they are a hoax of a couple, I have a feeling they secretly want each other. Call it girl's intuition, but something was more than friends between them. All they did was bicker like a married couple. That had to count for something, right?

I watched as Naruto practically bounced into a chair and then proceeded to spin around a few times for good measure. Sasuke, more calmly took his seat, and then smoothed out the creases that had appeared on his button down from sitting. What a pansy.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard Naruto yell, "Toni, sit down already, would'ja!"

"I was, sheesh, no need to yell, retard. You're so ADHD, it's not even funny," I heard myself remark while balancing on my toes to get up onto the barstool. Stupid dress wasn't making my life any easier. That's why I love my skinny jeans. But no, mother said that wouldn't be proper for a engagement party...look at how well that turned out.

"I'm so not ADHD. Ok, I was when I was younger, but now I'm just ADD. Take that!" The blonde threw back like that was an actual comeback; didn't it just prove my point? He then moved to face away from me because he had decided to order for all of us.

Though it didn't look like Mr. Prick really wanted any of what Sunshine was ordering, by the intensity of his scowl. Or maybe it was the fact that he was paying and Naruto had taken the liberty of ordering five bowls for himself.

"Hey, asshole," I said trying to get the stoic bastard's attention.

He looked at me.

Wow, he actually turns for asshole. I wonder how many people call him that...next time I'm going to try bastard and see what happens.

"You look pissed," I commented.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm not."

"Sure, sure, look on the bright side..order ten bowls and the eleventh is free." I smiled crookedly.

"Very funny, just don't tell Naruto that...he would actually take them up on that offer."

"I can imagine," I said, shaking my head in agreement. For one, because the blonde was _still _describing exactly how much of each topping he wanted and the preparation his ramen. To a T. He, also, kept repeating "this time" which hinted to the fact that this has been done way more times before "this time". Plus, he and the owner acted like best friends. And second real reason being that the guy seemed like one that would never back down from a challenge once the gauntlet had been thrown down. Remind me to play dares with him.

"So how do you think your dad is holding up?" I asked, truly curious on how the raven's father would take all this as soon as the reality of it sinks in.

"He probably isn't."

"What?"

"He probably isn't holding up. He might have just collapsed. I doubt this has ever happened to him before. I won't be shocked if I get a call saying that he has gone into cardiac arrest...nor can I say that I would be all that...unhappy about it," Sasuke responded offhandedly, as he glared at Naruto who was still ordering and told him to hurry up. But Naruto just whined and sure enough Sasuke gave up.

Oh, that's another reason I think that they like each other, or well at least Sasuke likes Naruto, is because whenever Naruto wants something from the Uchiha all he has to do is whine for a bit, or do the puppy dog face and he'll get his way. And I have only known the pair for five hours, give or take an hour, so that's just sad.

"Guys," I called hoping to distract them from each other long enough to talk.

"What?" Naruto answered. Taking a pair of chopsticks out of the container, snapping them free of each other. Not paying attention as he pretended to make them legs, using them to "walk" across the surface. Puffing out his cheeks when one of them snapped from accidentally using excess force on a step. Yup, ADD.

I tried to get back to topic after getting caught up in Naruto's little skit by bluntly asking, "Why're you lying to yourselves?"

"Lying to ourselves about what?"

"Being a couple."

"We gotta lie so Sasuke doesn't have to marry you...not that there's anything wrong with you. But Teme here's gay." Naruto couldn't help himself from snorting at his last sentence. It got him a slap upside the head from the Uchiha who looked hardly pleased. Maybe this was a one-sided thing? How heartbreaking. Now to have some fun with it.

"No, I know why you're lying to _everybody_ else. I was asking why're you guys acting like douches...and lying to yourselves?"

"Lying to ourselves about what?"

"Liking each other, dammit!" God, this guy could be a real airhead.

This time Sasuke responded with, "'Cause we don't like each other. Simple as that. We're not lying. Get off it."

"Denial should be checked by a doctor," I chuckled.

I heard the raven whisper, "Why does that sound so familiar?" Under his breath, like he was talking to himself.

Poor guy, has to resort to talking to himself. I bet he also has a little voice in his head that argues with everything he thinks about. Were all people in this town crazy? He probably inherited the craziness from his dad, or something. That guy looked like he had been over the edge and back.

It was obvious that Naruto was changing the subject when he asked, "How come you speak English so well, Toni? You lived in France your whole life, right?"

"Yeah, well we learn it starting at a young age there, especially at a elite school like mine," I explained.

"But you speak it like you were born here, like slang and stuff."

"That's probably 'cause of my love for American TV shows. French shows aren't even as close to good, compared to American comedies anyways. The Office is my fav show...I could live off it. That and Ben and Jerry's...that stuff is heaven."

"Haha, yeah I like that show too...and of course, ice cream is great too!"

Me and Naruto went into an in-depth discussion of our favorite moments, what we thought of the newest season, and then had a quoting contest, all the while the raven stayed silent. It was a fun way to pass the time since the ramen was taking longer than usual to prepare because the cook accidentally tipped over one of those large pots. They had to clean up all the slipped contents and start over from scratch. Naruto was more than depressed when that happened. The Office cures all.

"Yeah, I liked that episode too. You know Naruto, I can also speak German, and some Russian, on top of English and French."

Naruto face screamed impressed, eyes all wide like I had traveled to the sun or something. How cute. I smirked as Sasuke said, "It's not that hard, Dobe. Well if you weren't such a Dobe it wouldn't be hard. I speak Japanese, French, Greek, Italian, _and _Spanish — fluently."

Aw, someone's trying to one-up me. I think he's jealous that Naruto admired me for all the languages I know...so he has to flaunt his abilities...to get Naruto's attention.

Wait, Sasuke's jealous of me? Hell yeah. Going to this place with them was _the _best idea ever. I cackled wickedly in my head.

I tuned back in to hear blondie say, "I can speak another language too, Teme. I took Spanish for three years! Listen to this...Hola, ¿comó estás?"

The bastard just smirked and played along, "Bien, ¿y tú?"

"Bien...?" Naruto trailed off trying to think of something else to say in Spanish that would make sense in the conversation. To no avail.

"And I think that's the limit of your brilliant Spanish."

"Teme." Was all Naruto said as he stuck out his tongue at the still smirking bastard.

Oh yeah, they were so in love.

"So what're you guys going to do after all this blows over?" I questioned tapping my fingers mechanically against the counter while watching the chef guy pull out the noodles with the strainer to see if they were ready yet. And was disappointed to hear that it would be a couple more minutes before they were boiled to perfection.

"I dunno, I never really thought of it. I guess everything will go back to normal. No one'll ever know this ever happened," Naruto answered after a thinking for a bit. He was salivating slightly from the fragrance being given off by the almost prepared sauce.

I spun in my chair to face the blank raven and repeated the question at him. "So what 'bout you, Sasuke?"

He shrugged, indifferent. "I really have no idea. I think my dad might just disown me."

"I doubt it. You're his one and only heir."

"Yeah true, but I wouldn't put anything past my father..."

"Including the fact that he might just try this whole thing until it works. Like break you down 'til you cave."

"Ugh, I hope not. One time was bad enough. I don't think I want to do this again," the blonde interrupted though the question was directed towards Sasuke in the first place.

Sasuke, himself just laughed, saying, "You were planning to do this all over again if he did? With me?"

"Well duh, Teme. If I didn't you'd just look like a manwhore. Going from one guy to another," Naruto grinned at the raven's annoyance.

"You guys act like kids together," I said wondering how they could revert back to something as childish as calling each other names. But hey, they could easily pass as pet names too, now that I think about it.

"Don't put me down as childish just because this idiot here is," Sasuke barked. He really did like anything that was a hit to his pride. That might just be his downfall.

I was about to give my witty comeback to that but I was distracted when I felt my phone buzz in my clutch. A text. I gingerly took out my cell from that beaded deathtrap; I was going to kill my mother, if my baby had a scratch. It was a rather standard text asking me what was up. I typed up my response just as quickly, putting it on the counter when I was done. Like hell I'd put it back in that damned purse.

"Who was that?" Naruto wondered out loud.

"Same person I was texting at the party," I retorted, knowing that was just as bad as not giving them an answer at all.

"You say that like we know who you were texting at the party," Sasuke scoffed.

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed, "So who is it?"

I shot a once over at my phone to make sure that I hadn't received a message and said, "My best friend."

"Are they in France still?" The blonde asked after a short pause he sidetracked by looking back at the cooking and thinking about how much longer it was going to take for their, more specifically his, ramen was going to be done. Frowning when he is told another ten minute, they were still cooking all the meat he wanted in his bowls.

"Yeah."

"What's their name?"

"Jack," I answered.

"What's he like?"

I giggled loudly. Stupid chair legs are thin and I ended up rocking it backwards with my laugh and managed to knock it over. I didn't actually fall though, I caught myself just in time to land on my feet with a little bit of effort. I would be angry, but Naruto's question was so funny that it made up for any annoyance.

"What?" Naruto said confused.

"He's a she," I clarified.

"What kinda name's Jack for a girl?"

"Well, her full name is Jacqueline. But that's another annoying name, so we shortened it to Jack."

"So that makes you guys Antoinette and Jacqueline?" Sasuke smirked.

"Toni and Jack," I growled back.

Another buzz. And this text read:

_**wats ramen? wat're u doing there rite now if the foods not done?**_

_its like this japanese noodle stuff. we're talking...i think im just going to mess with them. they like each other but they won't admit it._ I texted back.

Let's see how far I can bend this guy until he breaks. I knew that he's easily jealous, possessive, and in denial. This'll be like taking candy from a baby. I beckoned Naruto closer and watched as the raven looked, interested as to what's happening. The blonde then scooted his stool closer to mine. I motioned with my index finger for him to lean in closer, like I was going to tell him a secret. I glanced up through my lashes to see Sasuke's bothered face, he was completely rigid with his arms crossed.

I smirked as I whispered, "When Sasuke asks what I told you right now, don't tell him anything, ok?"

"Umm, ok, but why?"

"You'll see. It'll be fun. Unless you're scared to try?"

"Naruto Uzumaki scared? Those words should never be placed in the same sentence. 'Cept for when I did it right there." He grins back.

Good ol' reverse psychology never fails. No guy can bear a hit to their ego.

We separated and I nonchalantly scanned Sasuke face. He looked put out. Good. It wasn't long before I heard the words I was waiting for, "What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," Naruto answered too quickly. Just as I expected, responding that fast always means that someone is hiding something and I was more than sure that Uchiha would easily pick up on that. Now for him to rebound on that...I wonder how he'll do that.

"That's a lie," He accused. Ok, a very straightforward way of putting that out there...but that was just like him.

"Fine then, it's a secret," Naruto chirped happily understanding what the fun of this was. Didn't take as long as I thought it would. What a pleasant surprise, we're on the same page.

"Yeah, a secret between _friends_," I added, extra stress on the friends making sure he knows that there is the other possibility to contemplate.

"Why can't I know?" Sasuke said, put out.

"'Cause then it wouldn't be a secret, Teme."

I watch amused as his eyebrows twitch. It seems he really doesn't like not knowing, perfect.

"Dobe, you better tell me..." He all but threatened.

"Nope, nope," Naruto sang, turning back to high five me. I think that was the tipping point.

Sasuke got up off his seat marched over to me, grabbed my upper arm and dragged me to the road outside. Wow this was more than I could ever have hoped for. I winked at Naruto as he watched the display. I almost hit the side of the building. Stupid bastard, just 'cause he's jealous doesn't mean he has to do bodily harm to me.

"So dramatic, Sasuke," I laughed as I rubbed my abused arm.

"What did you tell, Dobe?"

"Why do you care?" I shot back, scanning my surroundings. This street was mostly deserted, it was a narrow road, not a main one. Great so if Sasuke murders me no one will see him carry off my dead body off into the trunk of his car. Which I might add was uncomfortably close to me. It really was just that little bistro place and nothing else.

"No reason I just want to know," He said with uncertainty. Looks like he doesn't know why he cares that much either.

"If you give me one good reason then I'll tell."

"'Cause I said so," He tried.

"What kind of jacked up answer is that?"

"Ugh, fine cause it's killing me not knowing. You guys are acting like you're going out."

"Ahah, there we have it!" I cried overjoyed that we were finally getting to the good stuff. I pointed at him like he just gave away the biggest secret in the world; unfortunate for him, he doesn't understand where I am going with this...meaning I have to squeeze it out of him.

He stares blankly with a single. "What?"

"What bugs you is us acting like a couple."

"Maybe? So what?" He challenged. Good thing I'm always up for a challenge.

"As in you want to be together with Naruto a.k.a you're jealous."

"Me jealous? I don't think so."

"Admit it and I'll tell you what we were talking about." I offered. I can see him going over the idea. The benefits, the losses, all that stuff a person with an overly business-like mind goes through before making a final decision. His grimace was answer enough but I was surprised to hear:

"Fine..."

I decided to milk the opportunity by saying, "Fine...what?"

He rushed his reply in one breath. "Fine, I guess I kinda might just like Naruto a little. Like a crush, and a minuscule on at that. One that'll blow over quickly."

Good enough, I doubt I'll get anything more than that, either way.

"You really want to know, huh?"

"Yes! Now tell me, dammit!" Sasuke commanded.

I did exactly what I did with Naruto. I motion him to come close, leaning in myself so that our foreheads were practically touching. And whispered, "Nothing."

"You said you'd tell me?"

"That's just it I told him 'When Sasuke asks what I told you right now, don't tell him anything, okay?' End of story."

It looked like he was having an eye spasm, or something. Well he is all caught up now. I observed as a billion different emotions passed across his face as he realized that he had been set up by me. And that he had played into it perfectly. I got him to admit that he kinda, sorta liked the blonde idiot. He would never be able to live this down.

He resignedly mumbled, "Don't tell Naruto...please."

I decided to play the good guy this time around when I said, "Just this once."

He was openly relieved when he heard me agree. We walked back the short distance into the restaurant side by side talking about how much of an idiot Naruto could be. When I ducked under the hangings this time around my eyes were greeted with Naruto wolfing his noodles down.

"Hey guys, while you were outside our order was up," the blonde managed to choke out with his mouth still trying to chew the ample amount of ramen he'd stuffed in.

Sasuke didn't say anything back. He just situated himself back onto the high stool, pulled his bowl towards himself, snapped a pair of chopsticks, said thanks, and started to eat in small mouthfuls. Hope I didn't wound his ego too badly by making him fall for my trap. Eh, oh well, it's good for him, he'll grow from the experience.

I took my own seat and said thanks when Naruto pushed my bowl towards me so I could reach it. He then handed me some chopsticks, but tipped over the container in the process. He ended up cursing while stuffing them all back in. I pulled my two chopsticks apart and laughed as I saw that Naruto was gazing intently at my every move.

"What is it?"

"I just wanna see your face when you take that first bite." He grinned.

I just grin back, sloppily taking hold of my chopsticks. I looked like a little kid trying to eat with these things for the first time. Luckily, Naruto helped me by grabbing my hands and showing me the proper stance for eating with these damned things.

I slowly lower my head and raise my noodles to meet halfway, afraid of spilling some soup on myself. I chewed and swallowed.

I closed my eyes at the taste. If I thought Ben and Jerry's was heavenly this stuff was god-like. The warmth radiated from my stomach to the rest of my body. This was stuff was chicken soup for the soul. My senses were put into overload as I tried to analyze the different flavors. It was so rich. It was delicious. No, that was an insult ramen was better than delicious...We need to come up with a new word to describe this. I should move here for just this.

Naruto shot me a toothy grin. "I take it you like it?"

"J'adore...ramen," I said, jumbling up languages,"I'm sorry this stuff is so good I reverted back to French...I couldn't think straight."

"It happens to the best of us."

After a few minutes of pure bliss, immersed in eating I heard a low whisper asking, "So...what were you and Sasuke talking about."

"It's a secret between _friends_." I smirked mysteriously.

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**Fin**


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